I'm not sure this is better than the existing version. This new one seems more rhythmically distorted, with tempi fluctuating wildly and bars made longer or shorter for no apparent reason. Have you ever tried playing this with a metronome, if only to get a feel of how long the notes should be ? Alternatively, listening back whilst tapping out all the nine eights in a bar ? I believe that one should be able to first play in strict time before applying rubato. Both versions suffer equally from inaudible/missing notes in the RH chords.

I am really sure that it is better, especially rhythmically. For instance, the pattern dotted quarter - eighth - quarter - long, which is much present this piece, is much better as shown by the attached clip 1 where I have juxtaposed the first two bars from the old version, the new one and the recording by Koroliov for Tacet. In my first version, the quarter is too short with respect to the eighth.

The attached clip 2 shows an instability at the beginning of the second theme in the old version, which has disappeared in the new one.

Did you note also that I maintain the tempo in the f passage while there is a rush in the old version where the eighth chords are replaced by quarter chords ?

Last edited by Didier on Sat Dec 14, 2013 3:58 pm, edited 3 times in total.

Yes these dotted figures are better now, at least most or many or them. However I found the rhythm and tempo distortions here far more worrying than in the previous. There is just no pules to it. Please do me that favor, try play it once with a metronome. Forget about interpretation and feeling, just focus on keeping in sync with it. It will be tedious and confronting but I believe you need to go through this torture before you can get a piece right. Any teacherwould tell you the same.Also, I would not replace the existing recording until you also make all of the RH notes audible.

For this second version, I paid more attention to make sound all the notes in the choral parts.

Quote:

There is just no pules to it.

I do not understand what this means. Perhaps that it is too slow ? I agree that my 7'10" performance is on the slow side, but only 15" longer than Koroliov, within a few seconds on par with Arrau in 1956 or Uchida, and much faster than Feltsman (8'37").

Haha pules, I meant pulse No I don't mind it being slow. That's an interpretational choice. What I was trying to say that it is very irregular, as if Schubert had written bars of different meter and indicated different tempi, both of which he did not. But you have listened to a number of performances which I haven't. If these fine pianists do something similar then you are excused. Still seems to me you are studiously avoiding the metronome though

Sounds a lot better actually But you still need to count... You play bar 5 as if it were a 12/8 bar, and in the last but one bar you drop a beat. Some of the dotted figures near are awkwardly rushed, the last note played as if it were a sixteenth. Can your metronome count groups, i.e. give a stronger tick on every first beat ?

For this second version, I paid more attention to make sound all the notes in the choral parts.

I don't seem to hear much difference. Maybe my ears are on the way out, and you play them so delicately that I just can't hear them.The rhythmic distortions are the same always, I don't think you are going to improve here, or else this is maybe just your style and/or the way you want it to sound. I would not bother with it if you didn't play so beautifully otherwise. I believe you invest a lot, and successfully, in a beautiful tone, but you seem take your rhythm and tempi just as they comes. Perhaps you don't want to be in control of that, I don't know.

I guess you want to replace your recording on the site with the latest one and leave it at that for the time being ? I don't want to get into regularly replacing recordings with only marginal improvemnts.

If you've recorded a new version, do me a favor and listen back to it, tapping along, making sure you have all the note (and rest!) values right and you don't wildly fluctuate the tempi. I believe such errors are just as disturbing as wrong notes, maybe more. I also believe that it's possible to play with expression AND get the rhythms right AND not sound like a metronome

Chris, I do not intend to record a new full version that might be not as good as (or worse than) this one. I want just to re-record some passages for editing this one: bars 5, 15-16 and 80-81 as mentioned above, and also 42. Except for bar 5, these rhythm issues are also in my recording on PS site.

This must be the most often re-recorded piece in PS history by now Or maybe that honour goes to your previous Schubert recording.

I think this one has improved on points - though it is hard to keep up with all the versions. It is still far from ideal rhythm-wise but nonetheless has much to commend it, and I believe this is good enough for the site.

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